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Religious involvement has no significant effect on misuse of prescription opioids, study finds

Does going to church help people avoid struggles with opioid abuse? New research from Florida State University says no.

20 Jun 2018

Methadone or buprenorphine associated with reductions in opioid related mortality

A National Institutes of Health-funded study found that treatment of opioid use disorder with either methadone or buprenorphine following a nonfatal opioid overdose is associated with significant reductions in opioid related mortality.

19 Jun 2018

After opioid overdose, only 30 percent get medicine to treat addiction

More than 115 Americans die every day of opioid overdose. Many more survive thanks to the antidote medication, naloxone. But a study out Monday finds that just 3 in 10 patients revived by an EMT or in an emergency room received the follow-up medication known to avoid another life-threatening event.

19 Jun 2018

Unusual gene provides novel insight into how the brain wires itself

The study of a Quebec family with an unusual gene provides novel insight into how our brain is built and, according to the McGill led team of scientists, offers a better understanding of psychiatric disorders such as depression, addictions, and schizophrenia.

19 Jun 2018

How America got hooked on a deadly drug

Purdue Pharma left almost nothing to chance in its whirlwind marketing of its new painkiller OxyContin.

13 Jun 2018

UH researcher addresses smoking among people with anxiety and depression

Of all the groups that try to quit smoking, it seems hardest for those who suffer from anxiety and depression. The health effects are jarring: People with mental illness or substance use disorders die about five years earlier than those without these disorders and many of those deaths are caused by smoking cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

11 Jun 2018

With the rise of legal weed, drug education moves from ‘don’t’ to ‘delay’

California legalized marijuana in 2016, and this past New Year’s Eve eager customers lined up in the darkness outside medical marijuana dispensaries across the state, ready to start shopping at the stroke of midnight.

7 Jun 2018

Single spinal injection reverses chemotherapy-induced pain for months in mice

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have found a new way to block a root cause of pain. The key is a naturally occurring protein called apolipoprotein A-I binding protein (AIBP). AIBP binds to toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), a protein that sits on the surface of cells like an antenna, searching for signs of infection or tissue damage.

29 May 2018

Penn researchers find link between social media usage and underage drinking

Social media often features celebrities drinking cocktails, boozy how-to posts, and party pictures. This is the environment American teens are immersed in every day, with 71 percent of teens using more than one social media site, spending an average of nine hours a day using media.

24 May 2018

Early-onset cannabis use linked to further drug abuse problems

What a difference a year or two can make: If you started smoking marijuana at the start of your teens, your risk of having a drug abuse problem by age 28 is 68 per cent, but if you started smoking between 15 and 17 your risk drops to 44 per cent, according to a new study by Université de Montréal researchers.

21 May 2018

Opioid pharmaceutical marketing influences physicians' opioid prescribing rates

A new study shows the significant impact that even a meal or two paid for by a pharmaceutical company can have on prescribing rates, despite a national decline of opioid prescribing rates.

15 May 2018

Prenatal marijuana use can have consequences on infants' weight and behavior

Smoking during pregnancy has well-documented negative effects on birth weight in infants and is linked to several childhood health problems.

10 May 2018

Early discharge of infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome may prolong their treatment, shows study

Infants who are diagnosed with drug withdrawal after birth who are treated with medication as outpatients at home are treated three times longer than infants treated solely as inpatients, according to a new Vanderbilt study

10 May 2018

Experts discuss how medicinal cannabis can impact opioid crisis

A multidisciplinary panel of experts discussed how medicinal cannabis can impact the opioid crisis, though clinical research to quantify this is difficult given strict federal laws

9 May 2018

Australian paramedics find new drug to quickly and safely calm violent patients

Australian paramedics are leading the world by introducing a new drug, droperidol, to quickly and safely calm violent patients fueled by alcohol and drugs.

2 May 2018

Tanning addiction afflicts teenage minorities in Los Angeles

Tanning addiction plagues teenage minorities in Los Angeles, and that dependency is associated with marijuana abuse, obsessive-compulsive disorder and other mental health issues, a Keck School of Medicine of USC study reports.

2 May 2018

Study: HCV-exposed infants not adequately screened, despite increased prevalence

Due to the opioid epidemic, hepatitis C virus is increasing among pregnant women, resulting in a greater risk of perinatal transmission and HCV infection among children.

2 May 2018

Scripps researchers awarded two grants to support studies on cocaine, oxycodone addiction

Last year, more than 60,000 Americans died of an opioid overdose, and millions more struggled with opioid and cocaine addiction.

27 Apr 2018

New study identifies 44 genomic variants linked to depression

A new meta-analysis of more than 135,000 people with major depression and more than 344,000 controls has identified 44 genomic variants, or loci, that have a statistically significant association with depression.

26 Apr 2018

New study affirms bedtime habits of Americans

A new analysis by Johns Hopkins researchers of national data gathered from physical activity monitors concludes that most Americans hit the sack later on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Delayed bedtimes are especially pronounced for teens and young adults.

25 Apr 2018